The whimper roused Ric, even more than her moving away. He propped up on one elbow and rubbed a hand over his face. It didn't take much for him to recognize that time had passed, or figure out what was going on. He lightly, and briefly, brushed his fingers over her fur, but otherwise stayed still. "I'm here." No idea if she could hear that, but he was there, and he wasn't going anywhere.